THE NEBRASKA STOCKMAN EDITION OF
The Allianc
TUT
READ B7 EVERY MEMBER NEBRASKA STOCK GROWERS ASSOCIATION. ALL THE NEWS OF ALLIANCE AND WESTERN NEBRASKA
OFFICIAL ORGAN NEBRASKA VOLUNTEER FIREMEN'S ASSOCIATION. FT REACHES HEADQUARTERS FOR 15,000 FIREMEN
VOLUME XXIII
ALLIANCE, BOX BUTTE COUNTY, NEBRASKA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1916
NUMBER 12
The American
alley of the NILE"
E
Feature of this issue that will interest every reader and surprise many regarding the wonderful resources of Western
Nebraska and the development already made
LAND OPENING
INFORMATION
Vfaplanation of How to Proceed to Se
cure a Claim Under Government
Irrigation Project
BY JOHN W. THOMAS, KDITOR
There has been a good deal of mis
Information published regarding the
opening of land to homestead entry
under the North Platte irrigation
project, and some persons have mis
understood part of the Government
Proclamation regarding the same and
the Circular of Information from the
U. 8. Land Office at Alliance, both of
which are published on the fourth
page of this paper and which contain
ample Information if carefully read
and understood.
I have received so many requests
by mall for Information regarding
this land opening, and advice as to
how to proceed in trying to secure
one of the claims, that It Is not prac
ticable for me to write a comprehens
ive explanation In reply to each,
bence this article. In order to make
the matter as simple and plain as
possible, and to assist interested par
ties to avoid making mistakes, I have
prepared the following explanation,
which editors of other newspapers
are welcome to use. If they will kind
ly give credit to The Alliance Herald
r The Nebraska Stockman, of which
lam editor and in both of which this
will be published:
Iftplanation
Several methods have been used
by the U. S. government in deciding
the priority of right of claimants In
land openings where there were more
applicants for claims than there were
claims to allot. It will help to clear
up the misunderstanding that evi
dently exists in the minds of many
persons by mentioning and describing
briefly four of these methods, includ
ing the one that is to be used in the
opening now under consideration:
1. MAKIN OA "RUN" FOU THE
LAND. When certain lands were
opened for homestead entry and set
tlement in Oklahoma, prospective
settlers could not legally establish
residence upon the land they wanted
to homestead prior to the date of en
try, but the priority of right was de
cided by permitting them to Vine up
around the border of the land and.
npon a given signal (the firing of u
gun) , on the day of the opening, they
made a run for the claims they want
ed to homestead, the person who
could prove that he drove his stake
first on a quarter section was gtv n
the right to enter it as a homestead
claim.
2. LINING UP AT LAND r.r'KlCK.
Forming a line by the woull-b
komesteaders in front rr the V. S.
land office, prior to the hour of thr
opening, and taking turus at choos
ing land according ;o position In the
line. This methyl was used in the
lg land oper'.ig in South Dakota
some years ir.o. a well an in other
places.
3. PrioK REGISTERING AND
DRA' 'NO. In the openinp of the
Fp' : Reserve in Nebraska a few
yf-iirs ago, persons who wished to se
cure a claim were pe.iiiitted to regis
ter in advance for a chance for the
privilege of entering a claim, two
weeks bring given to this registration
at North Platte. Broken Bow and
Valentine. After the drawing had
taken place, those whose names were
drawn wie permitted to select their
clain-fc in the order that their names
wen- drawn.
4. THE PRKSENT OPENING.
The method of allotting claims (de
ciding priority of right) in the open
ing of lands under the government
irrigation project in Nebraska, to
take place in March of this year, dif
fers from each of the foregoing, and
is probably misunderstood more than
either of the others. Instead of reg
istering for a chance to obtain the
privilege of filing on a claim, the ap
plicant will actually make his filing
(that is, select the particular claim
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SCOTTS I1LTJFP
The fainouN landmark of the North Platte valley, lowering seven li undred feet above the level of the river and -1,6(12 nlxve wen level, . from
which Scott Muff county derive Its name. In Uie days when a name was iimTer eonMldnitloii for the new county to be curved from old Clieyennr,
one proposed wan Scott county, another wu ShoHhone, another liluff, etc. The matter watt finally compromiNed by the name "Scot In ItlutT" two words
without an apoNtrohe. The majesiic iiutuiitain in visible for many mi let eastward and westward, and Its summit, reached by strenuous climbs up Its
precipitous hide. Ih a recreation spot to which pnrtieN of sightseers wend t heir way dally.
"THE VALLEY
OF THE NILE"
A IMg Name for a IUg Country that
Is Uonstantly Growing Digger
and More Populous
NKAH GHRAT RANCH COUNTRY
he wishes to secure, make out the
homestead affidavit and deposit the
necessary fees), there being no limit
to the number of persons who may .
file on a claim, or "farm unit" as it'
Is called. If more than one person '
files on a claim, which will undoubt-j
edly be the case with most or all of
the claims, a drawing will be held to
determine which one of them will be
entitled to bold the claim, the fees of '
the others belnn rettr ned to them.
In order to insure a chance, for the
claim wanted by the claip'iuit. In the;
drawing that will take place, he (or
she) must make the filing, either by
mail or in person, any time n or af-.
ter March 19. 19111, and prior to 9
o'clock a. m., March 24, 1916. If
there should be any of the claims not
filed for during that time, they will
be given to the persons filing first af
ter 9 a. m., March 24, but there Is no
probability that any of them will be
left at that time. It is not necessary
to be a resident of the Allinace land
district In order to be entitled to file
on this land, but it is necessary to
first Bee the land and have the filing
affidavit made out by a proper official
within the Alliance land district.
HOW TO PROCEED TO SECURE
ONE OF THE CLAIMS. I advise all
Persons who wish to try for one of
I he claims (farm units) to proceed
as follows:
1. Come (or send) to Alliance be
fore March 24, and secure township
plats showing the location of farm
units and the number of irrigable
acreB on each, or get a description of
them, so that you can locate them.
2. Go out and see the land and
select the piece on which you wish to
file.
3. Deposit at the U. S. Reclama
tion Office in Mitchell. Nebr.. the
payment of $2.75 per irrigable acre,
on water right, which payment will
be returned to you If you do not se
cure the claim.
4. Return to Alliance, have your
homestead application affidavit made
out and filed. A competent land at-
I torney will make out your papers for
a small fee, if you wish one to do so,
Remember to make this filing, on or
after March 19, and before the morn
ing March 24.
JOHN W. THOMAS. Editor
An Invitation
Persons visiting Alliance are cor
dially invited to call at the office of
the Herald Publishing Company,
where are printed The Alliance Her
aid and The Nebraska Stockman, on
the east side of the Btreet, a little
less than a block north of the Bur-
. lington station. You will be welconi
ed and given information, free of
charge, regarding the city and the
surrounding country.
I.."
!
i
fp-.T"" ; vi. - ' f.
i;i;:.-?
ft sHMs4BsaiH
Turning a I'une at FcmiI of the Hills Note the S.did Co.icrete Construe lion
"The American Valley of the Nile"
is a high-sounding name, but to per
sons who are familiar with the won
derful development that Is rapidly
taking place In the North Platte Val
ley It does not sound too high. "Re
markable" Is a good word to ubs In
reference to the transformation that
has taken place within the last few
years.
For years after the settlement of
Nebraska by wlte men had been
commenced, a volume of water suf
ficient to water an Inland empire and
literally make "the desert rejoice and
blossom as the rose" ran away to the
ocean, a perfect waste of latent re
source of wealth, and worse than
wasted at some seasons when this
vast amount of water helped to in
crease the destructive floods of the
lower Mississippi Valley.
But the Ingenuity and industry of
man has brot about a change little
dreamed of a few years ago. The
productivity of the soil of this coun
try under irrigation exceeds the ex
pectations of a few years ago. The
fact that the climate is usually dry is
a benefit to the farmer who .draw
water for his crops from the never
failing supply of the North Platte riv
er.
Ranch and Irrigated Country
"What klud of a country is west
ern Nebraska" is a question often
asked by people of the east who hare
never been here as tho all of this
great country were alike There la
as much difference in the land and
the purposes to which it is best
adapted as tho it were in two differ
ent and distant states. And this dif
ference Is a great benefit to the coun
try as a whole. .
In the western half of Nebraska
there Is the great ranch country of
the sand hills and the broken table
lands, furnishing the best feeder cat
tle In the world at least as good as
any in the world. To the west iu
Wyoming are great herds of sheep,
furnishing lambB for feeding before
going to market.
Thru this great ranch country runs
the North Platte river with water
enough to grow feed sufficient to fat
ten the cattle and sheep of the con
tiguous ranch country when all the
irrigable land has been put under
cultivation. This feeding is already
being done to a great extent, but the
development of this Industry Is yet
in its infancy.
Added to these sources of wealtn
are the tsble lands of western Nebr
aska that cannot be Irrigated, which,
under improved and scientific meth
ods of agriculture and with crops
adapted to them, are adding largely
to the crop and dairy production of
this country. There is no longer any
strife between the ranchmen and the
farmers of this country. For some
years past they have realized that
the business of each is helpful to the
other. The ranchman furnishes the
stock to be fed. and the farmer fur
nishes the feed for it a combination
that spells P-R-O-S-P-E-R-I-T-Y for
all.
Appropriate Feature
Why should The Nebraska Stock
man, being practically a ranchmen s
paper, differing from auy other peri
odical published in this state, present
as a special feature an illustrated
wrlteup of the irrigated country?
The above explanation is answer to
the question. Runchmen readers
who nr-vcr expect to plant an acre of
corn or grow a suyar beet are Inter-
1 f
ented in the development of farming.
both with and without irrigation, in
th's country, amt will be delighted
wi'h th!s lne of The Nebraska
Stockman and the monthly stock
men's edition of The Alliance Her
ald.